Honda Joins the Pa-European Project to Create Hydrogen
Powered Cars

April 4, 2014: Honda and other leading motor manufacturers, hydrogen fuel suppliers and
energy consultancies from around the globe met in London this week to sign
a £31m agreement coordinated by the Mayor of London’s Office, to
develop and demonstrate technology and infrastructure that will help fuel
cell electric vehicles to become a viable and environmentally friendly
option for European motorists in the future.

The pioneering deal, known as the HyFIVE project (Hydrogen For
Innovative Vehicles), is the largest of its kind in Europe. Honda is one of
five manufacturers who have agreed to deploy a total of 110 hydrogen fuel
cell vehicles at several European locations and develop new clusters of
hydrogen refuelling stations.

The motor manufacturers who are part of this project are working on
developing and demonstrating hydrogen powered fuel cell cars. This cutting
edge technology uses hydrogen gas combined with oxygen from the atomosphere
to generate electric power with no harmful tailpipe emissions – only
water vapour. They have the potential to be more than twice as
fuel-efficient as conventionally powered vehicles and operate very quietly.
The technology allows for rapid re-fuelling times and the potential to
cover over 400 miles before needing to be re-fuelled.

The potential for fuel cell electric vehicles to become widely available
is now seen as increasingly likely as the cost of the technology is
reducing and infrastructure is being improved.

For Honda, the HyFIVE project is a unique opportunity to showcase the
advancements that Honda has made relating to fuel cell technology and fuel
cell electric vehicle development.

Honda has been leading the development and deployment of fuel-cell
technology for almost two decades and has undertaken extensive real world
testing, making significant advancements in fuel-cell operation and working
to meet stringent emissions and safety regulations.

Honda’s next generation FCEV will be launched in Europe in early
2016. It follows the FCX Clarity which was launched in 2008 and is
currently running in the German Demonstration Project: Clean Energy
Partnership. This participation allowed Honda to gain valuable information
in order to further improve and develop its technology.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “To sell this technology
we need to show Londoners and the wider world that it is not science
fiction. By building the vehicles and the filling stations and allowing
people to kick the tyres we will be able to demonstrate that hydrogen is a
viable option and that London is at the forefront of efforts to make it
so.”

Bert De Colvenaer, Executive Director of the FCH JU (Fuel Cells and
Hydrogen Joint Undertaking), said: “With a total of 110 FCEVs and 6
new refuelling stations, HyFIVE will represent the largest single project
of its kind financed by the FCH JU. The high level of technology readiness
of this zero emission transport technology will be showcased in 5 European
Member States, thus ensuring a broad geographical outreach. In addition,
the project will also contribute to the build-up of the first networks at
local levels necessary to support the market introduction of the vehicles
in the coming years. With the participation of leading automakers and
infrastructure providers, HyFIVE illustrates the commitment from leading
industrial players in the EU and the spirit of cooperation that I am
convinced will enable the success of these technologies.“